The Chairman's Corner

By Robert Fraser
February 2017

This month, I'd like to introduce you to my line of BS. Before you go on to think that this article is going to be about some meaningless rant or drivel that no one should care about but me, I need to tell you that the "B" stands for bitterness and the "S" stands for sweetness. Many years ago, I joined a weekly network marketing group in our area. I'm sure many of you are familiar with the concept. In this particular group, we each had an opportunity to speak for a few minutes at every meeting to promote our businesses and to discuss how we could help each other in creating more sales through referrals. I don' t remember where I saw it or what I was doing at the time, but I ran across this quote: "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten." I immediately thought, "There's my line of BS for our next meeting." Go figure.

There are a couple of things to consider here. Firstly, how many times have you purchased a product or service and the quality was just not there? Your expectations were not met and you became bitter about it. I know that if I have a bad meal at a restaurant or have hired shoddy service, I don't revisit them and I typically remember it for a long time. Conversely, and secondly, how many times have you purchased a product or service that absolutely exceeded your expectations? Did you think much about the cost? I know that when I have a great meal at a restaurant or hire a service company that does exceptional work, I'll revisit them time and time again regardless of the price. This concept absolutely applies in our industry. The reality is that most of us that have been in the moving business for a long time have had a customer or two who felt a little bitter about the service that was provided, whether that bitterness was justified or not. Some businesses, certainly those that are not licensed and insured, fixate on low price points to attract and book jobs. Those businesses are most fixated on quantity rather than quality. Given time, they won't survive their market. The businesses that are licensed and legitimate, that also train and provide reasonable wages and benefits to their employees, will trend toward providing exceptional service to their customers than unlicensed operators. Given time, these businesses will survive and actually thrive in their markets. Sell the value of quality, not the quality of cost. Don't let your business be just about the BS.

As I'm preparing for the homestretch in my CMSA chairmanship, I'd like to once again thank all of the chapter presidents for the jobs they are doing for our association. Please support your local chapters and be sure to acknowledge the time and energies that your presidents are providing on behalf of your CMSA.

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life'
- The Verve

February 2017 - CMSA Communicator